What Did Jesus Look Like? What Would Jesus Do?

Unfortunately, no one took His photograph.  Had they done so, Jesus wouldn’t have had a prayer recruiting most of his potential followers.  It is hard to imagine western Europeans falling in love with a dark-skinned Savior from the Middle East, especially a Jewish one.

For many centuries, Western Europeans haven’t paid meaningful attention to dark-skinned writers, musicians, painters, architects, teachers, politicians or philosophers.  In fact, they’ve openly discriminated against anyone who didn’t look “European.”  Nor would Jesus have had much of a chance today (“Hey, isn’t he one of those guys who attacked us on 9/11?”). We certainly wouldn’t tolerate any dark-skinned man who told us to give up our extravagant (i.e., suburban) lifestyles.

Because there are no photographs, Believers have had much artistic license to imagine Jesus in comforting ways.  Jesus always resembles the people who believe in Him.  He likes the things they like.  He feels their pain when they don’t get asked out to the prom.  He cries for them when they don’t get that promotion.  He applauds if we finish assembling the best Christmas lighting display on the block (He shouts “Way to Go!” and gives us the thumbs-up.). 

But most strikingly, even though His Believers don’t resemble each other, Jesus physically looks like each of them.  That’s how He looks in their dreams and prayers, as well as in publicly displayed art.  …

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What it’s Like to Go to an Evangelical Church

Subtitle: Fear and Darkness

On June 26, 2005, I attended the 9:00 a.m. service of the first Evangelical Free Church of St. Louis County as an amateur anthropologist. The large physical church is a spacious modern structure that appears to seat about 2000 people. As I approached the parking lot I encountered the “Church police.” Wearing safety vests marked “police,” they directed traffic into the large parking lot. Large and expensive automobiles populated the parking lot. I attended the early service. Another service was scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m.

I sat toward the right side of the pews, facing across the large expanse toward the large stage where the services was to be held. I immediately noticed the large stage and extensive stage lighting of the nine musicians on duty. They performed several songs at the beginning of the service, many of these having a gentle beat and lush harmonies characteristic of 70’s folk rock. The 70’s were probably the era during which many of the worshipers in came of age. Most of the adults looked to be between 35 and 55, all of them squeaky clean and looking content. There were almost no elderly people to be seen. That’s too bad, since the evangelicals have invested good money on first rate cushions are kind to old bones.

Every churchgoer I saw (there were probably 1500 people in the building) was Caucasian. Several hundred of the worshipers were wearing T-shirts printed with a quote from Proverbs 9:10: “The fear …

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Is One’s Choice of Religion Really a Choice?

Many of us don’t consciously choose some of the most important aspects of our lives.  This includes the choice of religion.  Many people claim that we don't really choose the religion we end up following.  After all, many of us end up adopting the religion of our parents. Is there…

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Religion (and sex)

I like to listen to what’s going on out on the streets.   One way to do this is to talk to a cab driver. Since I was taking an extended cab ride in Long Island yesterday, I decided to ask the driver about religion and politics.  He was a 40-year…

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